The court case between Apple and Samsung is in its final throws now, but that doesn’t mean that things are cooling down any. The latest twist? A tablet design from 1994 that could upend the whole case. Is this the real first iPad?
The picture above is of the Fidler Tablet – a never-produced idea for a tablet designed by Roger Fidler during his time in the Information Design Lab at publisher Knight Ridder.
The Apple Vs Samsung case gets serious
The tablet was primarily a device built for reading newspapers and magazines, although it never made it further than the concept stage. The Fidler Tablet has been part of Samsung’s case for a while (to reason that Apple didn’t actually invent tablets with flat screens and curved edges), but Apple’s decided to turn the tables.
The Cupertino-based company has made a full replica of the Fidler “right down to the scratches and the paint,” in order to show that it isn’t in fact anything like the iPad.
It’s a bold move given the vague similarities. The jury’s still out, but what do you think? Is this the iPad before the iPad?
